Bike electronic protection – CYCLOPE

The means recommended in CYCLOPE is the exploitation of radio signals transmitted by the bus (communication signals to its control terminal or radar signal coming from an anti-collision system for example).
The radar signals transmitted by the bus must provide information about the presence of a cyclist in the surroundings of the bus. The detection and identification of cyclists by the bus are performed by an ultra wide band radar which will be produced at a large scale at/for a reasonable cost.
Conducted in parallel with technological developments, the Humanities and Social Sciences studies have made possible an informed criticism of the technical choices necessary to achieve the objective.
Thus, the behavioral studies of the cyclist and the motorist were carried out on a riding and a driving simulator with several dozens of participants and on scenarios selected for the degree of dangerousness of the conflicts between the bus and the bike.

The project has improved the immersion features of the bike simulator in Marne la Vallée, as a unique scientific equipment in France.
The use of special devices (metamaterials, dihedron) makes it possible to increase the cyclist's RCS (radar cross section) so that he is better detected by anti-collision radars of road vehicles.
The treatment of electromagnetic signals coupled with specific algorithms provides a better recognition of different road users, motorists and cyclists, the association of UWB radars and algorithms of «deep learning« is original and offers very promising results.

Five years ago, we had the intuition that the bike mode would develop strongly in urban areas and that the safety of cyclists would become a strong social issue. Road safety figures unfortunately prove us reason today. In addition, the development of “new rolling objects” (electric scooters,…), which are likely to be required to travel on the road, will mechanically increase the risk of accidents.
The prototypes we have designed, developed and tested on bike and car simulators, with users, as well as on-site in Rennes, offer low-cost solutions that rely on existing electromagnetic automotive and bus equipment.
This project has therefore opened up a number of avenues to be pursued to better protect vulnerable users from increasingly automated and even autonomous vehicles.

This multidisciplinary project has allowed each of the scientific disciplines to bring new knowledge into their respective scientific fields. For exemple :
Thesis work on the study, the realization and the measurement of a flattened dihedron which made it possible to analyze the backscatter implemented with printed reflectors.
Engineering work has made it possible to set up a system for receiving and processing communication signals within a radio opportunity framework.
An article being submitted in the field of psychology on the effect of the number of cyclists on the ability of motorists to detect cyclists facing critical situations involving a bus.

To accelerate energy transition, the promotion of soft mobility is a major issue. Cycling is one of the proposed solutions. However, in towns and cities, urban planning does not always favour cohabitation between transport modes such as cycling and buses. Our objective is to propose novel securing equipment solutions to cyclists together with alerting systems to bus drivers. The project is organized in two parts, namely “Radio technology” and “Human and social sciences”. The originality of the project resides in the strong interaction between the two parts to foresee the influence of the technical solutions chosen on the users behaviour. Simulations should allow to test for the acceptability of the proposed solutions before experimental testing. The consortium relies on skills and expertise in Science and Information technology, Human and Social sciences, a technological SME and public transport operator.